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Bo’ness & Carriden Band got their
150th Anniversary of to a
flying start on Sunday with victory
in the Scottish Championships.
With a
confident and musical performance of
Gilbert Vinter’s “James Cook,
Circumnavigator”, the band not only
took the 1st Section
national title but also won the best
instrumentalist prize. This went to
their Soprano Cornet player, Richard
Tobin, who thoroughly deserved this
recognition after a stunning musical
performance.
The
contest took place in The Rothes
Halls in Glenrothes, which is a new
venue for this event, and proved a
popular choice with the public. A
packed hall witnessed Bo’ness &
Carriden take to the stage after
being drawn number 6 and as one
observer commented “ the band
lifted the competition to new levels
with a performance that outshone all
that had played before”
The
adjudicators remarks commented that
the band’s performance was “very
nearly excellent” and “A well
directed performance, full of detail
and with good balance. Soprano was
a real star!”
Winning this contest earns the band
the right and honour to represent
Scotland at the British National
Finals in Harrogate in September and
also gives them automatic
qualification to the Scottish open
in November.
The
band’s conductor, Michael Marzella
said “After the hard work and
commitment shown by the band members
in their preparation for this
contest I am delighted they achieved
this fantastic award and I am proud
to be associated with such a
significant result”.
Winning the Scottish Championships
also provides a great start to the
band’s 150 years
celebrations.
Plans
for this momentous year are well
under way and the band are very
pleased to announce that they have
secured a grant from “Awards for
All” (one of the funding bodies of
The National Lottery) which will
fund two of their 150 year
celebration projects. One being the
publishing of a book following the
history of the band from 1858 to the
present day, written by Val McKay.
And the other being the
commissioning of a new brass band
march to be written by top Composer,
Performer & Conductor, Andy Duncan.
2008
promises to be a busy year for the
band, as other events lined up, over
and above their usual commitments,
include a Celebration Concert on 6th
June, a Civic Reception, and our 20th
Annual Concert in Bo’ness Town Hall.
To
bring this celebration year to a
close, the band has also agreed to
join their great friends and local
rivals, Unison Kinneil Band, who are
also celebrating their 150th
anniversary, for a joint concert on
the 5th December, also in
Bo’ness Town Hall. Proceeds from
this great occasion will be in aid
of a charity to be announced.
As always the band
are thankful for the continued
support of the local community and
if there is anyone out there who may
be able to assist in their research
for the book or has any memorabilia
relating to the bands history, their
help would be very welcome. |
